Reduction of CO2 emissions through protection and sustainable management of the autochthonous mixed forests in the Russian Far East (RFE)

Using a variety of instruments (forest protection, sustainable forest management, reforestation), the purpose of the project was to sustainably protect an entire forest ecosystem in the Russian Far East on a model basis. A further goal was to examine to what extent emission permits can be earned with these measures. The regionally collected findings and approaches were subsequently be integrated into the forestry sector at national level and the generation of emission reduction units was analyzed as a possible model for financing improved forest management.

Project data

Countries: Russian Federation
IKI funding: 4,000,000.00 €
Duration: 08/2011 till 06/2016
Status: completed
Implementing organisation: KfW Entwicklungsbank
Political Partner: Ministry of Economic Development - Russia

Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment - Russia
Implementing Partner: GFA ENVEST - Competence Center for Climate and Energy

Transparent World - Russia

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) - Germany

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) - Russia

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State of implementation/results

Project completed.
305,398 hectares of new protected forest areas have been established.
A direct contribution has been made to forest conservation and sustainable management over a 1.6 million hectare area
The 11 directives issued by President Putin in 2013 pick up most of the WWF recommendations on forest conservation; the changes resulting from these directives will contribute to the conservation of the total autochthonous mixed forest in the Russian Far East across 6.1 million hectares
Cooperation work undertaken with WWF experts on a new provincial law for regulating the timber trade by the Primorye provincial government; law passed in December 2013
Feasibility study conducted on the development of a financing concept based on revenues from climate protection services, commercialisation of environmental services, and sustainably harvested forest products

Latest Update:
12/2025